ABSTRACT
Floods impact people and it is the people who adapt to the risk of flooding, cope with, and respond to the flood events. We seek the causes of flooding, invent means of reducing the risk of flooding, and decide what to do to reduce the risk of flooding and implement the chosen means. This chapter explores the cognitive and physical limits of individuals as these affect understanding, the decisions made, and actions undertaken. But since the decisions and actions are the most commonly taken collectively, it argues that it is the structure and processes of collective decisions and actions that are critical to effective flood risk management.
